Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Never Can Tell

Sweep the Twins. Then it's 4.5. Then win, say, the next two games. Then it's 2.5. Then one last week, seven games to make that up. I'm still having trouble understanding why we shouldn't root for this.

The "because we'll just lose in the playoffs" theory doesn't work for me. If we made it, we'd be the most up team in all the playoffs. The "let's avoid injuries" theory? Hey, as Al Pacino once said, to Tone Loc, of all people, "[You can get] killed walkin' your doggie!" Jon Lester didn't get cancer because he threw too many pitches. Much like Tanner Boyle, I don't wanna quit. "Hell, no, I wanna play ball."

But it has to start with a sweep. I wanna win. I want that trophy. So dance good, Red Sox.

Are Sox fans actually telling you that they're rooting against them making a furious comeback to slip into the playoffs? I don't get the sense that anyone is actually saying that. Rather, I think it's more resignation that it would be an incredible long shot for them to make it even if the team were at full strength, but even more of a pipe dream with Manny and Papelbon out, and what is still a patchwork rotation minus Wells, Lester and Clement (and Gabbard and, well, you get the picture).

I took a look at a few White Sox blogs earlier today...even they're pretty much conceding at this point.

I think a lot of people just don't wanna be made a fool of. I'd rather continue to will the Sox to win at all times than worry about being wrong. I mean, doesn't anybody remember the years when we were basically finished before the season started? I still thought they could win up until they were mathematically eliminated in those years. I don't know. It doesn't really matter. Or does it? No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. Maybe. No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. I didn't cut and paste any of that.

The problem though, is that the wild card would be a longshot even in the improbable case that the Sox win all their remaining games, because the Twins end their season against the other team that the Sox would need to get past in the standings, Chicago. For that reason alone, one of those teams will almost certainly finish higher.

Actually, I misspoke...what I meant to say was, "Aargh, there be cannonball size holes in ye plan, matey. I reckon it be like artistin' through the mail...right honorable but scurvy-ridden in the end...aargh..."